Cultivating implement.



C. C. MADISON. CULTIVATING IMPLEMENT.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 26. |915. 1,261,579. Patented Apr. 2, 19m

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

C. C. MADISON.

CULTIVATING IMPLEMENT.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2s. 191s.

Patented Apr. 2, 1918 4SHEETS-SHEET 2.

gwoon/top Uttmnuj C. C. MADISON.

CULTIVATING IIVIPLEMENT.

. APPLICATION FILED APR. 26. |945.

1,261,579. Patented Apr. 2, 1918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET a.

y @YM @gw/L@ www CHARLES C. MADISON, 0F SCANDIA, KANSAS.

CULTIVATING IMPLEMENT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 2, 191s.

Application filed Ap1il26, 1915. Serial No. 24,1731.

To all lwho/m it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLEs C. MADISON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Scandia, in the county of Republic and State of Kansas, have invented new and useful Improvements in Cultivating Implements, of which the following is a specification. l

This invention relates to agricultural implements classified as'cultivators. 4

One obj ect of the invention is to produce a machine of the class described comprising a wheel supported carrying frame, a gang frame supported by the carrying frame by means lofsuspending links and novel and efficient means whereby the gang frame may be raised and lowered.

A further object of the invention is to produce a machine of the class described combining a wheel supported main frame or carrying frame, a pair of gang frames support-ed thereby for independent slidable movement laterally, and means whereby the gang frames may be raised or lowered with respect to the main frame.

A further object of the invention is to simplify and improve the construction and arrangement of the detailed parts of the device.

With these and other ends in view which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precise structural details therein exhibited, butV that changes, alterations and modifica` tions vwithin the scope of the claims may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawings,-

f Figure 1 is a top plan view of the machine adapted tobe used as a surface cultivator.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same.

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line3-3 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of the front truck.

Fig.` 6 is a sectional detail view taken on theA line 6-6 invFig. 5.!

Fig. 7 is a sectional detail view taken-on the line 7-7 in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a detail view in side elevation of one of the lifting arms E.

Fig. 9 is a detail side view of one of the carriers D.

Fig. 10 is a sectional detail view taken on the line 10-10 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 11 is a sectional detail View taken on the line ll-11 of Fig. l.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted bylike characters of reference.

The top frame or main frame of the improved implement is composed of two separate sections which are hingedly connected by bolts or pivot members 6l with plates 62 carried by the reach bar 63 to which said plates are suitably attached. Each section of the top frame includes front and rear bars 64, 65 connected together attheir outer ends by end bars 66, near their inner ends by bars 67 and intermediate their ends by bars 68. Slidably mounted on the rear end bars 65 are cuffs 69 retained in Vposition by set screws 70 and equipped with vertically disposed sleeves 7l through which stems 72 having arms or cranks 73 are guided and retained in position by set screws 74. The arms 73 carry the rear wheels 75 which by first loosening the set screws 74e may be raised or lowered. The main supporting wheels 7 6 are mounted on cranks 77 at the ends of shafts 78 which are supported forrotation in boxes 79 that aresupported on f the frame bars 66, 68. means, such as set collars 80, maybe employed for preventing the shafts 78 from slidinglongitudinally in their bearings when the machine is in operation without interfering with the free rocking of said shafts which is controlled by means to be hereafter described; it is to be understood, however, that the shafts 78 may be reversed end for end, thus permitting the wheels 76 to be positioned adjacent to the outer faces of the end bars 66 or adjacent to the inner faces of the intermediate bars 68, as may be preferred. For controlling the rocking movement of the shafts 78 whereby the frame may be raised or lowered with respect to the supporting wheels, hand levers 81 are provided,l said hand levers being fulcrumed on lever stands includinfr rack segments 82 which may be de tachably bolted on the frame and whichare Any well known capable ofl being mounted on the frame bars 66 or 68, at will, and according to the positioning Vof the wheels 70 with respect vto the frame. The hand lever 81 is connected with a shaft 83 having a-crank arm 84 which is connected by a rod 85 with the axle crank 77 which may thus be rocked, thereby raising or lowering the main frame. The hand lever 81 is lprovided with a stop 'member 85 engaging the rack segment 82 for the purpose of securing the parts at various adjusti'nents.4 j

The reach bar 63 extends'materially in advance of the main frame and at the forward end of said reach bar to the upper end under facesthereof are boltedplates 86, 87 which are connected together at their forward ends by a clevis holder 88 with which an evener may be connected by means of an ordinary clevis for the attachment of thedraft. rlheplates 86, 87 are provided with suitably reinforced bearings for an inverted T bar 89, the upper end ofwhich is squared, as shown. 1t. will further be seen that the bearing vaperture in the plate 86 contains a sleeve 90 having a squared aperture 91 for thepassage of the squared portion 89', of the T bar which is thus fitted for rotation. The bearing plate 87 is-equipp'ed with a thrust bearing comprising a socket 92 adapted toreceive aI ball member93 held on the T-bar by means of a set screw 94. The cross piece 95 at the lower end of the T-bar is supported for* rocking movement in a bearing member composed of two half boxes 96, 977 see Fig. 6. vthe upper one of which has an opening 98 for the passage of the T-bar, said opening lhaving beveled walls 99 to permit of rocking movement ofthe bearing member with respect to said Tbar. The bearing member is also yprovided with bearings for a `pair of crank axles 100 carrying the front supporting` Wheels or truck wheels 101. The bearing member composed of the parts 96, 97 and which ais a whole has been designated by the letter Bis provided with a forwardly Vextending lug 102 with which is connected a bracket 108 to which the tongue 104 is attached. Slidably mounted on the tongue is a clip member, C comprising top and bottom plates 105, `106 and connecting bolts 107 by tightening which the clip member may be 'firmly secured at various adjustments. Said clip member is connected with the crank axles 100 by means of connecting members, one of which consi'sts simply of a rod 108. The other connecting member is composed of two rods 109, 110 which.` are adjustably connected together by acoupling 111.

Itwill be seen from the foregoing that the T-bar '89 virtually constitutes `a king Vbolt that permits the truck to turn about its axiswhen the machine is to be turned in the ield. When it is desired to raise or to lower the main frame this may be effected by manipulating the hand levers 81 to rock theY crank axles carrying the main supporting wheels 76; the rear supporting v wheels are then adjusted by effecting velitical adjustment of the shanks 72 in their respective sleeves 71, said shanks being subsequently secured by the set screws 74. The bolts 106 of the clamp C are next loosened so as to permit the clamp to slide along the tongue, thereby rocking the crank axles 100 to the requisite extent. 1nasmuch,however, as the two wheels101 by such adjustment would bepositioned unevenly, an additional adjustment of theA connecting member composed of the darts 109, 110 becomes necessary to place the wheels in proper alinement1 after which the bolts 107 "are retightened.

Slidably mounted on the front and jre'ar bars 64, 65 of the sections or members of the mainy frameare carriers D, shown in detail in Fig-9, said carriers having wheels 112 that ride onthe upper edges of the frame bars and rollers 113 that bear. againstthe front faces of said frame bars. Each carrier is also provided with a rearwardly eX- tending bracket 114 having a 'terminal eye'. or bearing 115 that receives a crank116 at the upper end of a connecting link 11-7, lthe lower end of which is provided with a crank 118 engaging a bearingv 119, said 4bearings 119 being fixed respectively on the front and rear bars 120, 121 ofthe gang frames which are thus supported by themain frame in such fashion as to be capable ofa longitu dinal swinging` movement, it beingunderstood that the cranks 116, 118 are positioned transversely with respect to the frames. lt is obvious that by swinging forwardly or rearwardly from their lowermost positions the gang frames will .be lifted from the ground and upwardly. Before fdescribing the mechanism,whereby such lifting movement is accomplished it may befstated that each of the-gang frames, in laddition to the front and rear bars 120, 121, includes outer and linner end bars designated, respectively, by 122, 123; also that the beams-124 are detachably connected with the-front and rear bars 120, 121 by m'eansof cuits 125 slidable on said bars where they may be secured at various adjustments byfsetlscrews 126, each of said cuffs being provided with a bracket 127 on which Vone end of one of the beams 124 is secured. Lifting springs S are provided to connect thegang frames with the main frame sections for lthe purpose of partly sustaining the yweightof the gang frames andthus imposing no unnecessary weight on the mechanism .providedf-for effecting' vertical adjustment of the gang frames.I s A The front bar 64 of each section'ofthe top or main frame is Aprovided with forwardly extending brackets 129, shown in detail in t Fig;` 1l, each; of: said brackets having at its abuts,ithebracket being secured by means of a nut engaging the threaded portion thereof andtightened up against the rear face of the bar' 64.*` Each bracket 129 has at its front end an eye orv bearing 132 wherein is fitted asleeve, 133 having a non-circular preferably square boreor aperture to receive a shaft 134 of ksquare cross section. It will be seen that each bar 64 is provided with two brackets 129 supporting a square shaft 134. Brace rods 135 connect the outermost brackets 129 with the .reach bar 63. Additional braces 136 having their forward ends connected with the reach bar are extended divergently in a rearward direction, the rear ends of said brace barsvbeing connected with the outer-` most end bars 66 of the sections of the main frame.

Each of the/shafts 134, which while of square cross section constitutes a rock shaft,

`isprovided with a radial arm 137, normally extending in an 'upward direction.Y Mounted on eachof the inner end bars 61 of the top frame sections is a lever stand including a rack segment .138 whereon is fulcrumed a hand lever 139 having a stop member 140l adapted to engage the rack segment. Each hand lever isconn'ected by a: rod 141 with the upwardlyfextending.arm 137 of one of the rock shafts 134. Each of the rock shafts 134 also. carries one or vmoreV lifting arms E Shown in detail in Fig. 8. Each of-said lifting arms comprises a sleeve or Vcuff 142 adjustable on the shaft `134 where it may be secured in adjusted position by means of a set screw 143.r Said sleeve has a downwardly and rearwardly extending arm 144 terminating at its lower end in a forward extension 145 with which is pivotally connected a bracket 146 carrying a longitudinally and approximately horizontally disposed roller 147 that extends beneath the front frame bar 120 of one of the gang frames, said roller being of a length considerably exceeding the width of the frame bar in order that it may at all times and under all conditions be maintained in engagement therewith. The bracket 146 is provided with an angular arm 148 to support one end of a pin 149, the other end of which is supported in the body portion of the bracket 146, said pin constituting a spindle on which a vertically disposed roller 150 is journaled, said roller bearing against the rear face of one of the frame bars 120 beneath which the roller 147 extends. A coiled spring 151 serves to connect the L- shaped arm 148 with the armv 144, said spring exerting a lifting action on the pivoted bracket 146 and the parts carried thereby. The rollers 147 and 150 will thus be maintained vv'inl engagement with the lower edge and the rear face of the frame bar 120 engagedby the lifting arm.

.By manipulating the hand lever 139 on either section of themain frame either onev of the rock shafts 134 may be oscillated, with the elfect of causing the rollers 147, 150 o'f the lifting arms associated therewith to bear upwardly and forwardly against the frame bar 120 engagedby said lifting arms, and thus lifting or raising the gang'frame to an extent governed by the extent of themovementof the hand lever, the stop member of which serves to Vretain the parts in adjusted position. The bracket 146 being pivotally connected with the body of the lifting arm is enabled to maintain the requisite horizontal position in various positions of the lifting arm, said bracket, or more properly, the rollers 147,150 associated therewith being maintained in contact with the bar 120 of one of the gang frames by the action of the spring 151. It is obvious that the springs 151 associated with the several lifting arms must in the aggregate be suiliciently powerful to sustain the weight imposed thereon bythe gang frames.

For the purpose of automatically lifting the gang frames from the ground when themachine is to be turned at vthe end of the field and for again restoring the gang frames to ground engaging positionwhen the turn has been completed, mechanism is provided including an arm, or `crank 152` which is ixed by a set screw 1531near the upper end of the T-bar or king bolt-member S9.k Said crank has an extension1 memberf .154 adjustably vconnected therewith by abolt' 155, and said extension member is connected by a rod 156 with a slide 157 connected with the reach bar 63 by a ring or collar 158.A

The slide 157 is connected by rods 159 with lifting arms 159 connected with the rock shafts 134 associated with two sections of the main frame, said lifting arms extending downwardly with respect to the shafts 134. It will be readily seen that when in turning the machine the truck is turned with respect to the main frame the T-bar or king bolt will be" turned about its axis, thus causing the crank 152 to exert stress on the slide 157 which is in turn communicated to the lifting arms whereby the gang frames will be raise from the ground. When, after turning the machine, the normal position of the truck is reassumed, the gang frames will be automatically lowered to ground engaging position.

Each of the hand levers 139 is provided with a bevel gear segment 160 meshing with a bevel pinion 161 on a rock shaft 162 which is supported in bearings 163 on the frame bar 67 with which the hand lever is associ ated. The rock shaft 162 is provided with crank arms 164, suitably secured thereon,

said crank arms being angularly constructed so that their outer ends will converge.

A seat 183 fo-r the driver or operator is a djustablv mounted on a supporting spring 184` which is bolted or otherwise secured on the reach bar where a foot rest 185 is also provided, n

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is :f

V1. In a machine of the class described, a reach bar, main frame sections connected therewith, gang frames, links suspending the gang frames from the main frame sections for longitudinal swinging movement,

rock shafts onthe main frame sections, lifting arms connected with the rock shafts and engaging the front bars of the gang frames, crank arms extending from the rock shafts, a truck supporting the forward end of the reach b ar and including a king bolt member revoluble about its axis with said truck when the latter is turned, a crank arm extending from the king bolt member, and connecting means between said crank arm and the crank arms on the rock shafts.

2. InV a machine of the class described, a reach bar, main frame sections connected therewith, gang frames, links suspending the gang frames from the main frame sections forlongitudinal swinging movement, rock shafts on the main fra-me sections, liftingarms connected with the rock shafts and engaging the front `bars of the gang frames, crank arms extending from the rock shafts, a `truck supporting the forward end of the reach bar and including a king bolt member revoluble labout its aXis with said truck when the latter is turned, a crank arm extending from the king bolt member, and connecting means between said crank arm and the crank armson the rock shafts; said connecting means including a slide supported on the reach bar, a rod connectingsaid slide with the crank arm of the king rbolt member, andY rods connecting said slide with the crank arms on the rockshafts.

3. In a machine of therclass described, a main frame section, carriers slidably engaging the front and rear bars of 'said section, a gang frame, link bars connecting the gang frame with the carriers for longitudinalV swingingmovement, arock shaft supported on the main frame section, a lifting arm connected with the rock shaft and including a spring supported bracket having rollers engagingthe rear face and the bottom edge of the front bar of the gang frame, and means for actuating the rock shaft.

4. In a machine of the class described, `a main frame section, carriers slidably engaging the front and rear bars of said section, a

gang frame, link bars connecting the gang,V

frame with the carriers for longitudinal swinging movement, a rock shaft supported on the mainframe section, a lifting arm connected with the rock shaft and including a spring supported bracket having rollers en-` Gomeray of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

